Recipe | Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cran-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

So I had the ratios a little more than slightly off when I went to make this cake. I made three 9" round cakes but the layers are quite thick (and delicious) so I only needed two and the amount of frosting I made was about five times the amount needed. No joke. Maybe even more than 5 times. The amount of frosting filled an entire Kitchen Aid mixing bowl. It was ridiculous. But not to worry, I fixed the amounts for you in the recipe below.

But if you end up with extra frosting, It's delicious when used as a dip for pretzels or add a little more sugar to make it thicker and make some oatmeal or pumpkin cookies and turn them into sandwich cookies.

Maybe I subconsciously made too much frosting......

Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cran-Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields:

2 9" cake rounds

Ingredients

cakes

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp orange zest

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree

frosting

12oz cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

6 cups confectioner's sugar

2-4 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp orange zest

2oz can jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 9” round baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

2. Cream together sugars, oils, and eggs until well combined.

3. Add in flours, baking soda, spices, and salt. Mix again. Then, add the pumpkin puree and beat until everything is well combined.

4. Divide the batter amongst the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow the pans to cool to the touch before turning it upside down on a wire cooling rack to cool.

5. While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until combined and creamy. Add the vanilla and half of the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until combined and creamy. Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar and the milk. Beat until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Once combined, continue mixing for at least 3 more minutes to create a light and fluffy frosting.